With advances in medical technology making surgery safer, more operations are being
done to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. As the baby boomer generation ages,
the government anticipates there will be an expected increase for surgical technologists
because older people typically require more operations such as joint replacements
and heart-related procedures, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated. Hospitals
will also continue to be the main employer of surgical technologists, reducing costs by employing technologists, instead of higher paid registered nurses,
in operating rooms.

Job prospects should be best for surgical technologists who have completed an accredited
education program and who maintain their professional certification.

Salaries

The median annual wage for surgical technologists was $44,420 in May 2013. The median
annual wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than
that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,450,
and the top 10 percent earned more than $61,300.

Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest number of surgical technologists
in May 2013 were:

Outpatient care centers

$46,870

Offices of physicians

$45,400

General medical and surgical hospitals (state, local and private)

$43,370

Offices of dentists

$43,120

Most surgical technologists work full time. Surgical technologists employed in hospitals
may work or be on call during nights, weekends and holidays. They may be required
to work shifts lasting longer than eight hours.